not only do different greens have different flavors; from sweet to peppery, to nutty, even bitter. texture is another consideration. some are tough, some stringy, others tender, yet still others crispy.

what's more confusing is that greens are greatly affected by the temps and amount of sunlight/angle of the sun that they are grown in, as well as the composition of the soil. at different times of the year, in different climes and soils, you'll get different flavors from various greens.

sorry to be so vague, but it's that varied a subject.

i always taste a tiny bit of the greens i'm about to buy. some are so bitter that they are over the top, even when bitter is necessary to the recipe. some are so bland, i'll go with another green that is "in season".

respectfully sarah, kale can be tough and flavorless. it depends on the variety and growing conditions. otherwise, i'd agree that they are 2 good choices for greens. taste them first before buying.

i've seen the color in swiss chard runs out when cooked thru. it might retain some color if quickly blanched and shocked, tho. i dunno; never tried that.

i highly recommend that anyone with the availability of a garden try growing various greens in spring, as soon as the nightime temps are above 40F.

start with spinach, swiss chard, and individual or mixed leaf lettuces. graduate to head lettuce, escarole, arrugula, endive, and cabbages. if you have good soil and sun and few other gardens around (bugs), try broccoli and broccoli rabe, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.

you'll learn about greens if you try to grow them, whether you like it or not. they're easy to grow, and are a good starter for a learning gardener. since they grow in short seasons comparitively, problems are evident and repaired quickly, in most cases.

Personally, I do not like bitter greens like dandelions, chicory, endives etc although they have medicinal properties. I will go for lettuce, kale, beet leaves, spinach and leeks anytime. BTW, leeks are eaten by Chinese during Chinese New Year for good luck.

I recently outdid myself with a simple swiss chard recipe (if I do say so).

Chopped up the chard, simmered it, WITH chopped fresh garlic in a can of beef broth just until tender (about 15 minutes, surprisingly). Added a little butter, a few drops of malt vinegar, a few drops of sesame oil (the last 2 are optional) and served in small bowls, to slurp all the liquid. Ooo baby! You can drain off the broth, but I didn't have the heart to, since it tasted so delicious.

Next time I will use less beef broth, but wouldn't make any other changes.

Simmering the fresh garlic with the chard, instead of sauteeing it in butter first, resulted in a nice, soft, mild garlic. I discovered that when, being lazy, I first boiled sliced garlic along with the potatoes to make garlic mashed potatoes. Now I do it all the time.

I like the idea that serving greens at New Year's means prosperity, so I'll adopt it myself! I have a bag of spinach in the fridge (first one since the e coli outbreak, so I hope it's not BAD luck for me!). I will try some sort of creamed spinach recipe for the first time.